BODY TALK WITH MARTIN

It was Martin del Rosario’s eyes that caught the fancy of talent scout/movie reporter Jun Reyes.

“Parang palaging inaantok,” said Jun who also discovered Joross Gamboa and Gerald Anderson.

Related Martin, “I was outside of Lourdes School then after my classes. That was more than two years ago; I was in high school. A cab stopped beside me and a man, who turned out to be Kuya Jun, asked me, ‘Bagets, gusto mong mag-artista?’ I said, ‘Why not?’ even if I never really thought of becoming an actor even if I appeared in commercials when I was a kid.”

Said Jun, “I was with Gerald in the cab. We just came from Retiro where we bought litson for Gerald’s birthday on our way home. Martin was standing in front of Lourdes School (located near Sto. Domingo Church). ‘Yung mga mata niya ang una kong na-notice.”

with Xian LimIt’s “those eyes” that became Martin’s asset in fleshing out his roles that are more daring than those young stars like him would take the risk of doing, such as a teener raped by his own father, an autistic, a drug addict, a teenager who takes his father’s mistress as his lover to save their family and a gay sampaguita vendor, all in Charo Santos Concio’s long-running, top-rating 20-year-old ABS-CBN drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK).

Martin was nominated for that gay role. Then, he won Best Supporting Actor for the indie Dagim, directed by Joaquin Valdez for Cinema One, not just once but twice, first in the Star Awards for Movies of the Philippines Movie Press Club (PMPC) and then from the Golden Screen Awards given by Enpress (Entertainment Press, the movie reporters’ breakaway group).

In Dagim, Martin plays one of two brothers looking for their missing father until they end up with a tribe that turns out to be cannibals.

“I love doing challenging roles, ‘yung mga off-beat,” said Martin whose father Robert del Rosario, and late uncle, Joey del Rosario, briefly did supporting roles (in Waywaya and Bagets) during their high school days at Aquinas in San Juan City. Martin has other showbiz relatives: Connie Sison is his aunt (Martin’s father’s youngest sister) and his mom, Maria Teresa Mangay, is the younger sister of Ces Quesada.

After winding up work in the just-concluded ABS-CBN soap Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin (where he played Coco Martin’s rival for Andi Eigenmann), Martin is now cast in the reteam-up yet untitled movie (for Star Cinema) of Sarah Geronimo and Gerald.

Martin with his two Best Supporting Actor awards (for the indie film Dagim).This “body talk” was done at Gold’s Gym (Timog Avenue, Quezon City) where Martin, a MyPhone endorser, regularly works out.

How do you divide your time between showbiz and your studies?

“I go to school from Tuesday to Friday. I had a hectic schedule when I was doing Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin. I would shoot on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and my classes were from Tuesday to Friday. What I did was ask permission from my professors, and talk to my classmates to lend me their notes. There would be three quizzes every time I reported for my classes. I had to drop one of my Wednesday subjects due to conflict of schedules with my shoot. Okey naman ang grades ko.”

With your tight schedule, how much sleep do you get per night?

“Lately, I have gotten used to sleeping for five hours per night. This morning, my alarm clock rang at 7 a.m. because I have so many things to do. I try to take naps between takes on the set but more often, I review my school notes kasi ayokong pumasok sa school na walang alam, napri-pressure ako sa ganoon. I’m determined to finish college. Anyway, two years na lang naman.”

Favorite sleepwear?

“Boxers.”

Never in the nude?

“Never! Sometimes, my sister sleeps in the same room with me.”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Two. The small one under my head and the hotdog pillow I hug. When I sleep away from home, it doesn’t matter if I don’t have a pillow under my head as long as I have a pillow to hug.”

“Not much. During meals, I take only one-third of a glassful, basta may panulak lang. Nagtataka nga ang friends ko. They consume lots of water during meals pero ako, wala pang kalahating baso ang naiinom ko. But I try to drink more when I’m working out. I take more of juices.”

How often do you work out?

“Three times a week, four hours each time. I divide my workout time. I don’t do too much cardio exercise kasi hindi na ako masyadong nagpapapayat. May pattern ako. On Mondays, I concentrate on my chest and biceps. On Wednesdays, my shoulders and abs. On Fridays, my back and biceps.”

What part of your body needs improvement?

“My shoulders. My chest is okay now, medyo malaki na. I have some kind of buto-buto on my shoulders and I want to correct them.”

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

“My stomach. I once suffered from amoebiasis. Sensitive ang stomach ko. Kapag may makain lang akong something, I suffer na from LBM. I’m malikot when I sleep; sinisipa ko ‘yung mga unan, and when I wake up with my stomach over-stretched, I could feel that it’s painful.”

Favorite part of your body?

“My eyes.”

Part of a girl’s body that you notice first.

“The face, especially her eyes and her lips. It’s really her totality… how she carries herself.”

And what turns you off?

“Girls who smell.”

How’s your love life? Do you have a girlfriend?

“My love life is zero. I don’t have a girlfriend. I broke up with the last one nine months ago. So I’m single…and available…since January this year.”

Who are your showbiz crushes?

“Cristine Reyes and Anne Curtis.”

How’s your sex life?

“No comment.”

And what about your nightlife?

“Not much. Instead of going to parties, I hang out with friends. We just talk, listen to music and watch DVDs.”

How do you cope with stress?

“I sleep. Or I get a massage.”

Favorite city?

“The only foreign city that I’ve visited is Hong Kong where my family and I spent Christmas. One city that I want to visit is Paris, Venice or any city in Europe.”

Are you vain like most good-looking guys?

“Just a bit. I’m just particular about my hair. It becomes unwieldy when it’s long na. After this interview, I’m getting a haircut.”

How long does it take you to fix yourself?

“Fast. Thirty minutes, from taking a shower to dressing up.”

Name three guys that you think have nice bodies.

“Jake Cuenca. Derek Ramsay. Piolo Pascual.”

And three women…

“Cristine Reyes. Anne Curtis. Lovi Poe.”

Using only body language, how would you make a girl know that you admire her?